When He Returns
by RowennaRaven
Summary: Takes place years after the final season of Inuyasha: Rin has been living in the village with Kaede but she's dissatisfied with her life. Sesshomaru hasn't visited her in three years, and right when she is about to accept that he's gone, he returns! What kept him away for so long? RinxSesshomaru, Kohaku's unrequited love, and mature for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

I'm relatively new to writing fan fiction, although well-seasoned in reading it... that being said, this is the first fic that I published. It's actually the first fan fiction that I ever wrote. I rediscovered it on an old flash drive and, after editing it A LOT, here it is. It's Rin/Sesshomaru, mature for latter chapters. I'm not sure how frequently I'll be able to post – life is crazy. Just know that I'm working on it.

Please comment, give me your thoughts, tell me what I need to do to improve!

I appreciate it 😊 enjoy!

(Side Note: The beginning that's in italics is a flash back from the series. I watched the anime in English dub, never finished reading the manga. Keep in mind, I first wrote this just after finishing the series, about five years ago. Some of the content might not be completely accurate with the series… while I was editing, I kept forgetting what happened and most of my research involved texting a friend and asking if she remembered how their relationship progressed. Please let me know if I got anything wrong so I can endeavor to be more accurate. Thanks!)

 **Chapter One**

 _I was eight years old when I first met him. It was at dusk; the sky was orange and purple, the air clinging to the last bit of warmth before the chill set in. He was laying on a bed of grass in a small meadow in the forest with his head turned away from me. I remember the way the fleeing sunlight made his long white hair gleam. He was beautiful and otherworldly._

 _I hid from him, behind a tree in the bushes. But my curiosity could not be sated. I wanted a better look. The leaves rustled with my movement as I peered beyond the tree. Faster than I thought possible, he sat up from his reclined position and snarled at me. I will never forget my uneasiness at those red, demon eyes. He was indeed beautiful. Beautifully dangerous._

 _His sudden movement startled me so much that I jerked back, even gasped. Barely a noise, and an involuntary one, but a noise nonetheless. I hadn't spoken a word, not since the day my family died._

 _But as I looked at him, I felt no fear. He was a demon, clear as day. But he was not human. And humans are the ones who truly should be feared. I swallowed my anxious feeling and stepped into the meadow, walking towards this strange, beautiful demon, stopping only a few feet away. There, I unhooked my water canteen from my sash and left it by his side. His cold eyes never left me but I could not read them. I turned and walked away. But I would be back._

 _And, once night had fallen, I returned. Once again, I peered at this strange being from behind the tree. This time, he was propped up against a tree of his own, his eyes closed, the canteen where I had left it, untouched, a few mere feet away from him. He was like a wild animal, one I had to approach cautiously, least I scare him away. And so, I did, this time bringing with me grilled fish and mushrooms on a leaf. Trying not to disturb his rest, I placed it beside the canteen and turned to leave once more._

" _Mind your own business, girl. Your generosity is wasted on me; I don't eat human food." His voice matched his eyes, deep and cold. His words made me pause and I turned my head to glance at him. But he said no more and I could say nothing so I left once again._

 _To return later._

A touch on my shoulder woke me from my sleep and disturbed the memories haunting me. Kaede was kneeling next to me and, once she had ascertained that I was conscious, raised herself to her feet and exited the hut.

I raised myself from my bedding with effort to squint across the room to peer through the slatted mat covering the doorway. The small amount of light coming into the room told me that it was mere minutes after dawn. It would be herb picking today, then.

After I changed from my sleeping robes and into my priestess robes, I went outside to meet Kaede. I was not a priestess, but Kaede thought the clothes suited me, and she didn't want me to ruin my other kimonos, the ones that Lord Sesshomaru gave me. And just like that, my thoughts returned to the demon from my memories, the one haunting my dreams. It's been six years since he left me here, when I was eleven. I started living with humans again. Old lady Kaede made a deal with Lord Sesshomaru. I would live with her in this village for a few years, to see if I wanted to live with my kind, or live with demons, such as Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jaken. But my mind had not wavered in those years. When Sesshomaru returns for me, I'll go with him.

"Rin, shall we begin?" Kaede asked me. I nodded with a smile. I knelt next to the herbs that needed to be harvested, naming them as I did so. This became a routine for Lady Kaede and I. When I came to this village, I swore that I'd learn anything that might be of assistance to my lord. I've memorized almost all the herbs and they're uses for humans and demons. Kaede used to help me pull the herbs but stopped when her old age started getting in the way. I had Kagome teach me archery and I'm not bad at it. I had Inuyasha and Kohaku - when he was visiting Sango and not off hunting demons - teach me how to defend myself with a sword against demons, and learn they're weaknesses. I was determined not to be useless to lord Sesshomaru. I still am. I don't want him to be burdened by me if he returns. _When_ he returns.

It took about an hour to finish this, and when we were done, nearly everyone in the village was awake. Kaede went back to the hut to make stew for us while I walked to the medicine hut to store the herbs in baskets and put them away for the sick and injured that need Kaede's attention.

As I walked through the village, some of the people bowed to me, as if I was a priestess like Kagome or Kaede. Most just gave me a strange look.

" _There's the girl_ _who keeps company with demons!"_

" _I heard her saying that humans were scarier than demons! Can you believe that?"_

Those comments followed me everywhere I went, even in this village. Most warmed to me eventually, but some simply could not fathom why I would trust a certain demon more than the average human. There will always be people who think that I am a strange girl. It comes with the territory; I've become used to it.

Once I had finished my task, I returned to the house and ate the contents of the bowl Kaede had put in my hands. In the six years I lived with her, we'd become close. I helped her with whatever she needed done and looked after her, despite her insistence that thought she was old, she wasn't dying yet.

Before she could protest, I grabbed the nearest weapon leaning against the wall and left. I ran through the forest of InuYasha with my bow and the arrows on my back. I felt powerful, like I could do anything. The wind blew past my face, through my hair as I ran with all my might. Before I realized it, I was laughing. Then I pulled my bow off my back.

I was almost there! I made it to the clearing. Fast as lightening, I pulled an arrow out of my quiver and shot it at the tree I marked as my target. I barely registered that it hit its mark before I spun around and did the same thing to a different tree. I practiced my speed, accuracy, and flexibility. If a demon or bandits attacked me now, I would be able to defend myself. I wasn't a weak little girl anymore. This training of mine had become a habit, despite Kaede's disapproval. When I finished my exercise, I knelt on the ground and surveyed my work. All around the clearing, every tree that surrounded it had an arrow in its center. Every tree except for one. I frowned. I'm positive that I heard a _thunk!_ for every tree. I was breathing heavily as I got up and walked past that one tree. Buried in a bush to the left of the tree was the arrow I shot at it. Damn it. I needed more practice. I heard applause and I turned around. Kohaku was standing in the center of the clearing, the spot I just left. I suppose my surprise was evident on my face, for he laughed.

"What are you doing here, Kohaku?" I asked, a little annoyed that he could sneak up on me and then had the nerve to laugh at me! Last I heard, he wasn't to return for a fortnight.

"I got to the village earlier this morning and I wanted to surprise you. I also wanted to see how you've improved and I knew you would come here. You did well." He walked towards me as he spoke, and now he stood in front of me, his brown eyes twinkling at me.

I flushed at his praise. "No, I missed."

"Really?" He asked. "You're going to beat yourself up over one arrow? Your agility and speed are amazing! Who cares if you missed one arrow out of…" He paused to look around and count the trees. "One out of 24." He finished.

"The demon that I didn't shoot will care. Yes, I'd imagine that he'd care quite a lot. Enough to kill me, in fact." I replied smartly.

"Feeling cheeky, are we?"

"A bit."

He sighed and shook his head. I suddenly felt conscious about the proximity between us. He was standing so close to me, the handsome boy who had been my friend forever. The sunlight spilled through the trees and it bounced off his hair, making it shine. He was in his black and green slayer's outfit still. I was aware, in that moment, of my priestess clothes that I was wearing that had grass stains from the herb garden. I fidgeted, uncomfortable with these foreign thoughts barging into my head and his eyes watching me.

At last, he grinned down at me and I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out from me. Like that, the disturbing thoughts were gone. It was incredible, how he could put me at ease.

"Rin, will you meet me by the river in about an hour? There are some things that I'd like to discuss with you but I must greet my sister and her family first."

"Yes; of course." I said, wanting to hear the stories of the places he's been. He nodded and then left without another word. I stayed in the meadow, looking miserably at the arrow that had not hit a tree. I slowly surveyed my work once more when I felt it. A tingle at the back of my neck. Someone was watching me, and I was out of arrows.

She hadn't missed. He had watched her as she burst from the hut, moving faster than he thought possible for a human. She raced into the forest, her head thrown back as she laughed with abandon, her long black hair flowing behind her. She was beautiful and carefree and he wanted her.

She hadn't missed.

He had watched out of sight, in awe of her, as she danced and whirled through the clearing, a dance of death. Her arrows sang through the air as every single one of them hit their target. All except for one. At least, according to her.

Just because she'd missed the tree mean she didn't hit what she had aimed for. The tree was never the target; he was.

Somehow, she unconsciously detected his demon aura and aimed for him. If it hadn't been for his quick reflexes… the arrow had gone straight for his face.

Ha caught it just in time, mere inches from his nose. But she didn't seem to notice him. Then the boy came.

Hot anger and jealousy pounded through him when he saw Kohaku smile at her and she smiled back at him. Then she blushed and a quiet growl slipped through his teeth.

He could not lose control like this.

Sesshomaru could not lose control over Rin, not again.

Three years ago, when he visited the village to see her as he did on occasion, something in her had changed. Her blood shifted. It was still human, it still smelled like Rin, but something changed. Something that made his blood boil.

He lost control that day, nearly in front of her. He escaped just in time. Had he stayed, had she seen, he would not have been able to face her again.

Sesshomaru had not allowed himself to interact with her ever since that day, lest he lose control again. But he could not stay away; and so, he frequently found himself in the position he was currently in. Watching from afar.

The boy left, much to his relief, as he reigned in the jealous beast.

Then she sensed him.

She could not see him, he knew. He was too deep in the foliage for her human eyes to detect. But she became aware of his presence. He had to leave, he realized, in order to avoid a confrontation. But he would be back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:**

The semester has ended and school is officially out. But work is hell, that's why it's taken me this long to update. Sorry for the wait!

This chapter also contains a flashback in the form of italicized text.

Please comment and tell me what you think! I appreciate it!

 **Chapter Two**

 _In the middle of the night, I snuck into the fish preserve of the village that took me in after my family's death. I waded through the water, my hands searching, searching, until I found my prize. A fish for the demon._

 _But when I pulled it out of the water, the four men of village found me and beat me soundly. I wasn't able to say a word._

 _They called me a freakish child. I never showed signs of remorse or fear. Maybe because I didn't feel either._

 _The next day, I went to visit the demon. I was sure to make noise with the leaves on the bushes, alerting him to presence as I had the other times I visited. This time, I was only able to offer a few stalks of wheat._

" _No thanks." He said, refusing to look at me._

 _I stepped forward insistently, kneeling closer to him than I had ever dared before, and tried to offer it to him once more._

" _I told you, I don't need anything from you."_

 _I turned my gaze to the ground with a sigh, dejected. If only I had been able to get that fish…_

 _After a moment of silence, he asked, "Where did you get those bruises?"_

 _I stared at him. How did he know I was bruised? He still hadn't looked at me._

 _He tilted his head away from me and my attention was drawn to the pointed ears peeking out from under his long white hair._

" _You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."_

 _I stared at him in wonder and he finally turned his golden eyes toward mine. Then I smiled at him and gave a joyful little laugh. He cared enough to ask, even attempted to comfort me in his own way._

" _What are you smiling about? I simply asked a question. I don't care, I'm just curious." His efforts at being cold and heartless went unnoticed by me as I continued to smile at him._

I slowly turned around the clearing, acting as I had when I had surveyed the fruits of my training, before I was aware of the presence watching me. How had I missed it? How had that happened, when I've been preparing for this?

 _There_. The watchful eyes were coming from the west. I squinted through the foliage but could see nothing.

What to do? I was out of arrows, I hadn't thought to bring any other weapons with me… I was still considering the possibilities when the trees in the direction I had been looking began to shake – violently.

Just as soon as the movement began, it ceased. And the presence was gone.

I missed my shot. The thought followed me as I made my way back to the village. I missed it. There was something, some _one_ there, watching me. And I was helpless. Like a human.

 _Sesshomaru isn't here_. _He can't protect you._

The mean voice of doubt in my head stopped me dead in my tracks.

 _He left._

I shook my head. But the thoughts kept coming.

 _He left three years ago and hasn't come back to visit since. Not once. Isn't it clear? Isn't it obvious? He doesn't want you anymore. The moment you stopped being a curiosity, the moment you acted like a human again, he lost interest._

I was shaking. It was true; Sesshomaru used to visit, usually once a month, bringing gifts and a surly Jaken. But ever since the fall of my fourteenth year, he stopped coming.

 _He can't protect you anymore. He_ won't _protect you anymore. He doesn't_ care.

It's true, isn't it? I've denied it for three years, but I can't. Not anymore. Sesshomaru isn't coming back. I'm on my own.

The next time I feel that presence again, I will find it. And if it turns out to be a threat, I will protect myself. That much I can do.

"Child, where hast thou gone?" Kaede eyed me as I returned to the hut. I turned my back to her, removed the outer robes of my clothing and pulled out a fresh kimono to wear for going to see Kohaku. With a twinge, I realized it was one that Sesshomaru had brought me. All of my kimonos were brought by Sesshomaru. Even when he stopped coming to the village, the kimonos never stopped.

"I was training. You know that." I put the kimono on. What other choice did I have?

Kaede grunted. I sighed. "I don't know why you're so upset. You are the one who insisted that I learn to protect myself with something other than a dagger and my wits!"

"Indeed. To _protect_ thee, girl, but what you are training for… 'Tis foolish."

"How so?" I finished dressing and turned to face her.

"You are looking for a fight. You are looking for a chance to prove yourself." She frowned at me disapprovingly.

I wanted to laugh. Or cry. Neither would be appropriate. "You needn't worry anymore, Lady Kaede. There is no longer a reason for me to prove myself." I smiled down at her and sat across the hearth from her.

"What does that mean?"

"It means -" I paused and sighed. "It means that I know. Sesshomaru isn't coming for me. You don't need to worry about me proving myself to him. I've proved myself enough."

She watched me with concern. "Child, I know he hasn't come in a while, but that doesn't mean that he won't return for you. You didn't see him when I insisted that you stay with me all those years ago. You didn't see the face he made at the thought of leaving you." She looked like she wanted to say more.

"It doesn't matter what happened then. Things have changed. _I_ have changed. I cannot spend the rest of my life waiting for a man – a _demon_ – that won't be coming back."

I stood abruptly. "I must go. Kohaku is waiting."

She took to my change in topic. "The boy has returned?"

"Indeed. I shall see you tonight." And with that, I left the house.


End file.
